§ 12. Mr. BOLANDasked the Vice-President of the Department of Agriculture (Ireland) what further steps he proposes to take in order to put an end to the sale of factory-made cloth as Irish homespun, in view of the recent successful prosecution undertaken by the Department against a firm for applying to a certain cloth which was not homespun the false trade description of "homespun"; whether he is aware that the genuine article is largely produced in certain districts of South Kerry, and that this industry, one of the most important cottage industries in the West of Ireland, has been threatened with extinction owing to the unfair methods which have now been condemned in a Court of Law; and whether the Department and the Congested Districts Board will act immediately in the matter?
§ Mr. BIRRELLThe recent prosecution referred to in the question should, in the 826 view of the Department, have a useful effect in preventing the application of the description "homespun" to machine-made cloth. Should the Department, however, find machine-made cloth still placed on the market as homespun, they will not hesitate to take any further action open to them to prevent such misdescription. The Department are aware that homespuns are made in several districts in the North-West, West, and South-West of Ireland. The sale of machine-made tweeds as homespuns has undoubtedly injured the cottage industry.